The Damage Done

by Linda Newbery

Seventeen-year-old Kirsty has told no one about her night-time panics, and is in the habit of lying to everyone - to her father, to her absent mother, to her friends - to conceal the fact that she never goes into public places. With too much responsibility, Kirsty is given a new worry about the horses in her care - horses locally are being brutally attacked at night. When Kirsty meets Dally, living rough and giving away none of his secrets, she doesn't know whether he is to be feared or trusted.

Genres: Young Adult

272 pages, Unknown Binding

First published March 16, 2001

About the author

Linda Newbery's latest novel for adults is THE ONE TRUE THING. She has published widely for readers of all ages, and is a Costa Prize category winner with SET IN STONE, a young adult Victorian mystery. She has twice been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal, with THE SHELL HOUSE and SISTERLAND.

With friends Adele Geras and Celia Rees, Linda hosts the literary blog WRITERS REVIEW, which features reviews, recommendations, interviews with authors and insights from booksellers.

Linda is an active campaigner on animal and environmental issues and has published a guide to compassionate living: THIS BOOK IS CRUELTY FREE - ANIMALS AND US.

She lives in rural Oxfordshire.

Reviews

[Aine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favourite book ever. I first read it at 13 and now at 30 i can still relate to it. Its a beautiful story of a young girl struggling with loneliness and anxiety in a way that anyone can relate to. She meets a boy and he doesnt just swoop in to try and "save her" he sees her for who she is and doesnt judge her or want her to change. Hes there for her and helps her to save herself. Its a must read.

[Michele Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not good at writing book reviews, but I want to say something about this one, because I thought it was just extraordinarily wonderful. I'll try to add something useful to this review later, I just wanted to give it a 5 star rating.

[Evie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this book when I was 14 and didn't think too much about it. Later it came back to me and though I couldn't remember much of the story, I remembered actually how much i had enjoyed it. I couldn't find it for years (you'd be surprised how many books there are under the same title). Finally I found the one I was looking for, remembering the cover art. The book can speak to you at any age but especially as a teenager and even more so if you experience the kind of anxiety Kirsty does. Each character comes across as very real and you can feel empathy for all of them as a result of this. Its a gentle romance but mostly a coming of age. As time goes on, I hope there will be other people like me, finding it in the library and letting it come back to them over the years.